I have been a student at Nova Southeastern University for three years now. I’ve now paid for six semesters of college, and somehow, every semester, the tuition amount seems to keep getting bigger and bigger. In the last few years, tuition has steadily increased. As other things like rent, food and gas get more expensive, an increase in tuition doesn’t bode well for a student’s finances.
When I got here in 2019, a semester’s tuition was $16,339. Now during this current semester, a semester’s tuition is $18,000. From a yearly perspective, it’s even more devastating. During my freshman year, both fall and winter tuition combined was $32,524. Now, in my junior year, a full year’s tuition is $35,470. That’s a $2,946 rise yearly. Tuition rising is inevitable, and it isn’t necessarily the biggest deal, but the students need to be aided financially in this case.
Unfortunately, as tuition rises, scholarships and financial aid remain negatively affected, or not affected at all. The Dean’s Scholarship hasn’t moved at all. It has been at the same fixed rate since the award date. The Effective Access to Student Education, or EASE, Grant is offered to private school students that are registered for at least 12 credits and is a non-need-based grant. In Fall 2019, the EASE grant awarded students $1,421 in scholarship. Now, for the 2022-2023 school year, it was lowered to $1,000 per semester. When tuition goes up and scholarships don’t reflect the same inflation, it can make things very difficult for students.
There are possible ways to help your students that are suffering right now. If the school is making more money from tuition, it only stands to reason that they could offer more financial aid or breaks to their students. I understand that some scholarships and aid come from the government and NSU has no bearing on that, but an increase in the Dean’s Scholarship could fare very well for students.
For me, my first semester was very inexpensive, and I thought that is what college was going to be like for me. I expected the financial aid and tuition to stay relatively stagnant. A rude awakening hit me when I realized that wasn’t the case. I went from paying very little money to paying four digits. As tuition is expected to rise next semester, hopefully more financial aid can be awarded to students and help students more.
